Bernie (2012) Review

Jack Black has always been a likable guy but lately he has kind of disappeared, however here he gives what I consider the best performance of his career. Bernie is a great example of a comedic actor doing something a bit more serious, showing he has acting range, but in a role that still allow him to use his trademark comedic traits.

Jack Black plays a guy who seems to be the nicest guy ever, a man who is a prime example of someone with a Freudian superego. Bernie works as a funeral agent, arranging beautiful ceremonies, preparing their bodies after their souls have gone to heaven, he often follows up the widows of deceased men, giving them gifts and caring for them, with no thought behind it other then caring for someone. One day he begins a very close relationship with one particular, rich, widow, whom he forms a relationship with over a couple of years. However she eventually grows protective over him, bossing him around. Bernie, the nice guy he is, doesn’t have the courage to the talk back to her, until he at a point snaps and kills her. Confused about what to do he starts to pretend she is very sick and never leaves the house, convincing the town to believe she is still alive.

It is a role that Black nails to perfection, with a lot of dark comedy at times and also just plain out comedy based on his performance. He never goes out of character for the sake of being funny, and he even shows that he can be good in the emotional scenes as well.

The film is based on a true story and from what I can tell, it tells it pretty accurately. What makes it interesting however is that it is part documentary. Throughout the film there are interviews with people from his town and after some research, it seems that some of these are real interviews with the townsfolk speaking about the real Bernie. I do have hard time believing that these are genuine interviews, however it is hard to find answers to this. Even if they are real townspeople who knew Bernie, there has to be some form of scripting, because some interviews were actually hilarious. So while I have my doubts to those who claim the interviews were real, though I will believe some were real townspeople who take something from their real experience with Bernie. It is a pretty cool concept, and the documentary style brought a very authentic feel to the film. That being said I think there were a bit too many interviews at time, which caused the film to lack a driving force throughout.

Throughout the film I kept thinking this is something that would have been amazing in the hands of the Coen brothers. At times it had that oddball-darkly humorous feel that the Coens often use, however there were times were I felt it was a bit inconsistent in it´s humour as it all of employed slap-stick humour which didn’t fit the tone as well. That being said I did find the film very funny, though it could have used a tad more character development, or had us care more for the characters.

3.5/5